After speaking with Erdoğan, MHP deputy says gov't will adjust minimum wage again

Far-right MHP deputy Saffet Sancaklı has claimed that the national minimum wage will be increased in July, basing his statement on a conversation he reportedly had with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Tuesday March 29 2022 11:00 am

Duvar English

Lawmaker Saffet Sancaklı from the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has said that he spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the national minimum wage will be increased in July amid the economic crisis.

Sancaklı made the comments during a party meeting in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, according to reporting by Kocaeli Gazetesi.

“Hopefully, as of July, the salaries of many employees and retirees, including the minimum wage and pensions, will be increased," he said.

The government hikes the pensions twice a year -- in January and July. However, the minimum wage is normally increased once a year, and that is in January.

Recently, Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Bilgin ruled out adjusting the minimum wage again this year, despite comments by some senior ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials suggesting otherwise.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chair Veli Ağbaba on March 21 submitted a bill in parliament proposing that the monthly minimum wage should be adjusted twice a year in line with inflation.

Turkey hiked its minimum wage in December 2021 by a massive 50 percent to 4,250 liras ($287) per month in the wake of a currency crash and inflation spike.

In February, the country's annual inflation hit a two-decade high of 54.4 percent, with debates that an adjustment could be made mid-year to offset surging living costs. Independent economists say inflation is undercounted and is actually above 100 percent.

The government’s unorthodox policy of cutting interest rates in the face of price hikes spiraled inflation and plunged the Turkish Lira to record lows.

The lira lost 44 percent of its value in 2021 alone.